Lora and Frank have the quintessential Mid Century Modern home. Everything, from the open floor plan to the expansive windows to the location in the hills, is reminiscent of the famed Case Study homes they admire. Taking a fun modern approach to collectibles and design, this house is the perfect home for the couple to grow into.

When I asked Lora and Frank what the most significant thing in their whole home was, they said "The dining table — it's our first chance to connect after a long day." What a perfect way to express how important quality time is to them. They wanted to design their home to express exactly who they were and firmly believe in "Injecting your personality into the design, because that's what makes it a home versus a showroom."

Lora and Frank also told me that they have met three of the previous homeowners by chance. A truly loved home, nestled into at least an acre of pure forrest hills — this is a California dream. "We're definitely inspired by California design/Case Study homes — open concept, having the connection from the indoors to outdoors. We love the action of the city but also realize Los Angeles offers amazing landscapes. Because our home is only a short distant from the hustle and bustle, it is the perfect balance of urban dwelling and refuge."

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: A clean mix of modern and nature with an urban edge. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, so our style will always have hints of humor and playfulness that mirror our personalities. We also infuse mid-century modern pieces into the mix as an ode to the origins of our home.

Inspiration: The architectural elements of our home inspires us, as well as the natural environment around us. The cities we've lived in also serve as inspiration — can't forget about our Chicago roots! We regularly view fashion, architecture, shelter, and design blogs (yes, Apartment Therapy is one of our favorites) to get ideas.

Favorite Element: We love the layout of our home — how each space (indoor and outdoor) is its own little getaway. Due to the architectural elements of the home, there are multiple ways to enter each space, which makes it fun.

Biggest Challenge: We lived in a small loft in downtown LA before purchasing our home, so going from one room to multiple rooms was a bit overwhelming. In our professional lives we're taskmasters — luckily this working style spills over to our designing habits. We love to get things done quickly and with quality. But of course it wasn't easy and at times felt like a design marathon. We're happy with what we've done thus far, but there's always more to do — that's the joy of being homeowners!

What Friends Say: Most people will say, "This house is SO you guys!" which is the biggest compliment we could ever ask for.

Biggest Embarrassment: The previous owner of the house was waaay into pot… lights! On the lower and main levels, it seems like the pot-light to square foot ratio is 1:1. A very close runner-up is the tiles in the upstairs bathrooms. It's more of that natural stone look than what our style calls for, not to mention it makes the rooms look smaller. So the bathrooms are next on our list!

Proudest DIY: (Lora) I like our painted "SHHH" mural in the staircase — it was a bit tedious drawing/painting the stencil, but I love how we just decided one day "Hey let's paint something here!". It definitely gives that area a pop of color and fun. And when our little nieces visit they always know to be quiet when coming upstairs! (Frank) Surviving the removal of an old wall heater unit in the second bathroom. Mental note: if you think you're cutting into a live wire, it probably IS a live wire. My other proudest, less dangerous DIY was adding the wood feature to the fireplaces.

Biggest Indulgence: Eating In-n-Out 4X4s (Google that) to celebrate upon the close of escrow! Design-wise indulgence — chairs. From the Eames to Prouve and Magis Chair One, we love our chairs!